NOTTINGHAM, England – For British slugger Dan Hardy (25-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC), fighting in front of his hometown crowd for the first time in more than four years (not to mention in the UFC’s first-ever visit to the city) was truly a dream come true.

However, Hardy was focused on channeling the emotion of the moment into a positive outcome rather than the disappointing result he suffered in his most recent appearance in his native country.

“I’m working hard to improve, and sometimes if I let my emotions get the best of me, technique goes out the window and I just want to see who’s got the best chin,” Hardy said. “One time it didn’t work out for me, and I didn’t want to take that risk again in my hometown.”

Hardy, of course, is referring to an infamous UFC 120 loss to current UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit. In that fight, the two through simultaneous left hooks, but Condit scored first, and Hardy was knocked out cold in front of a London audience.

Hardy said he wanted to ensure that didn’t happen again against Amir Sadollah in the pair’s Saturday co-headliner at UFC on FUEL TV 5, which took place at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England.

“The last time I fought in the U.K., there was a lot of adrenaline,” Hardy said. “(This time), there was a point about a minute into the first round where I heard the crowd chanting my name, and I kind of felt that I wanted to trade punches and start going nuts. So I stepped back and kind of bounced around a little bit.

“I probably let the first round go, and I apologized to my corner between the first and second round, but I needed to let that pass and be a bit smarter.”

Hardy settled into his rhythm in the second and third rounds, and he coupled a surprising wrestling attack with his trademark kickboxing to cruise to a unanimous-decision victory.

It wasn’t quite as spectacular as his UFC 146 knockout of Duane “Bang” Ludwig,” but Hardy said the moment was no less significant in his career.

“I knew this night was going to be special, to be honest,” Hardy said. “I never thought the UFC would come to Nottingham, honestly. This is not a UFC-size arena, usually. We need like 15,000 seats. When Dana announced at the press conference after my last fight that they were coming to Nottingham, I was like, ‘I need to be on this card.’

“It was a special night.”

What’s next for Hardy remains to be seen. He’s now put together consecutive wins after suffering through a frustrating four-fight losing streak that left many wondering if his UFC days were over. The 30-year-old Hardy said he’s not worried about anything other than enjoying the moment. The rest will take care of itself.

“It’s a deep division,” Hardy said. “I’m just kind of focused on myself now. I’ve made the mistake of looking too far ahead in my past. Now I’m just kind of focused on my journey and improving between fights.

“Whoever the UFC puts in front of me, that’s my next challenge and my next goal. Wherever the cards fall, I don’t really mind who comes next.”

But whenever that is, you can expect to again see Hardy 2.0. There will be wrestling, and there will be patience.

“The old Dan Hardy got knocked out by Carlos Condit,” Hardy said with a laugh.

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